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I decided to do a post featuring my favourite purchases I made this year. Of course there were a lot of other products I cherished, but I already post them in my monthly favourites. As usual the coloured text is a link to the original review.

Starting with face products, my absolutely dearest discovery this year is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. I do in fact also own the original Healthy Mix, but I much prefer the serum version. It just gives the most natural finish. It literally looks like your skin but better. The shade 51 matches me perfectly, the light to medium coverage is right up my alley and the finish is more glowy instead of flat matte. It's definitely a winner.

Dream Touch blush in Peach by Maybelline is my lazy look blush. I think I wore this one the most out of all of my blushes. Often in the morning I just can't be bothered with the whole make up routine, so for my cheeks I just put some Ice Gold highlighter and some Dream Touch blush and I'm done. It has a really lovely soft, creamy consistency so it blends nicely (oh, and I apply it with fingers, I can't be bothered with brushes in the morning).

Moving on to eye make up, the winner in this category are definitely the Color Infallible eyeshadows by L'Oreal. I already have five shades and I'm still lusting after some more. They are pretty expensive for drugstore products, but they are seriously some of the best quality eyeshadows I've come across. Shades 21 Sahara Treasure and 24 Bronze Goddess are two of my favourite shades ever, they are so gorgeous and the combination of the two (21 all over the lid and 24 just at lashline and the outer corner) is brilliant. Reviews can be found here (21 and 24), here (005 Purple Obsession),here (12 Endless Chocolate) and here (002 Hourglass Beige).

The best cream eyeshadows I found are Essence Stay All Day longlasting eyeshadows. These are brilliant for the price. They apply and blend well, plus they really last for hours without creasing. On me shade 01 Copy Right looks quite similar to my beloved Satin Taupe by MAC. I also really enjoy wearing shade 02, it's just one of those no-brainer colours.

This year I have completely shifted to waterproof mascaras. I have very stubborn lashes that refuse to stay curled for more than a couple of minutes. But by curling the lashes, then applying a bit of waterproof mascara, then curling them again and applying mascara again keeps them curled all day. For me this is the tip of the year. My favourite mascaras are L'Oreal's Million Lashesand Helena Rubinstein's Lash Queen Feline Black both in waterproof version.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multipurpose Dry Oil is absolutely one of my greatest finds this year. I have actually been using it as a face moisturiser for the past six months and my skin has never been so soft. A holly grail product. I also use it for my body, lips and hair.

Another oil I have been loving is the L'Occitane Amande Supple Skin Oil. I just adore the scent of the L'Occitane's amande line. I think I already had most of the products from this line and the shower oil and the supple oil are the bomb. Of course they are seriously expensive, so I'm using it very sparingly.

Lush's Silky Underwear dusting powder is a brilliant product. It smells divine and has a number of uses (try reviews on MUA for more ideas). Right now I love sprinkling it on my scarf so it smells pretty.

I purchased a lot of fragrances this year, but the two that really stood out are Escada Taj Sunset (a very sweet, tropical scent, great for summer months) and Britney Spears Fantasy (a stronger really sweet fruity vanilla scent).

On to hair products,Syoss Volume Lift Dry Shampoo really impressed me. It doesn't leave any white residue, has a lovely fresh scent and gives masses of volume. Two conditioners/masks work fantastic on my really dry hair. The more expensive version is the ''Serious'' conditioner by Tigi S Factor and the cheaper drugstore Dove Oil Care 1-Minute mask(it's called differently in other countries). All the products from the Tigi S Factor line I purchased are absolutely brilliant, Flat Iron Shine Spray is a great heat protectant and the Smoothing Luster is great for smoothing and taming flyaways. The last thing is the Orofluido which I've been using on my ends for almost the entire year, plus it smells gorgeous.

As promised in one of my previous posts, here are some better swatches of the Beehive and Rose Petal lipsticks.

I'll start with Catrice Ultimate Color in Frozen Rose. I got this one from my cousin who didn't like it as much as she hoped she would. Despite it's demure appearance it is in fact quite bright, well at least on my skin tone. It is a cool, light pink shade, very similar to YSL Rouge Volupte in Lingerie Pink, however, Frozen Rose is a bit darker. I just find the shade a bit too cool for my skin tone, but I'd still wear it. The texture is very soft and creamy, I wouldn't carry the lipstick in my purse on a hot summer day. Staying power is decent, nothing surprising for such a creamy texture. I think it was around 4 € in Müller.

Natural Collection in Rose Petal is one of the most beautiful shades I have ever seen. Hue being my favourite shade, Rose Petal is definitely a close second. It's a nude, warm light pink, seriously gorgeous and a perfect fit for my skin tone. However, I do have a couple of gripes. Firstly the staying power is quite weak, I'd say it lasts a couple of hours which is such a shame. Second, the shape of the lipstick is really odd and makes the application totally weird, however this is fixable, so no worries. The packaging feels quite cheap, but for the price I wouldn't complain too much. The texture is quite hard, though not dry. It definitely does not have a shiny finish, I'd say it's semi-matte, personally I prefer it that way. Considering it's only 2 GPB, it is an absolutely brilliant lipstick. If you have a chance, get it.

Boots 17 Mirror Shine lipstick in Beehive is a very glossy, moisturising lipstick. The shine is gives is quite impressive, I'd say its comparable to the Stay All Day lipglosses by Essence. The shade is a light pink, however, very sheer. Staying power is really weak, but I have yet to encounter a super moisturising lipstick with an amazing staying power. The packaging is so cute. I have a thing for everything blue and the shade of the Mirror Shine lipstick is so pretty. The texture is very creamy and soft, even at room temperature you have a feeling it'll melt. I believe it was somewhere between 4-5 GPB in Boots. Out of the three new lipsticks, this one is the one I've been wearing the most, simply because I've been wearing it instead of a chapstick.

Just a quick post of my Christmas inspired manicure. I used two nail polishes - Alessandro 297 as a base (I bought it a long time ago in Müller) and Essence 67 Make it Golden on top. I've been wearing it for almost a week now as I know it's going to be a pain to remove.

I absolutely adore L'Oreal's Infallible eyeshadows. So naturally, when they released three new shades (at least here in Slovenia), I just couldn't resist buying some more. I already owned three shades, reviews can be found here,here andhere. New shades are 21 Sahara Treasure, 24 Bronze Goddess and 27 Goldmine (a true gold shade, I don't own it...yet). These are pretty expensive at 9.5 € per eyeshadow, but they are so worth it. I've already raved so much about them, but they are seriously some of my favourite eyeshadows. They are just so pigmented and soft plus their staying power is brilliant. I find that the best way to apply these is with fingers. I use my ring finger to apply the eyeshadow and then just blend the top with MAC 217.

Now for the actually shades:

21 Sahara Treasure is a nice, soft taupe shade with shimmer. It's one of my favourite everyday eyeshadows. I've been wearing it loads.

24 Bronze Goddess is a simply gorgeous olive shade with gold shimmer, just stunning in real life (my pictures don't do it justice, check this post by delicate hummingbird). It's a bit like a much darker and more pigmented Patina by MAC and has quickly become one of my favourite shades ever. I tend to pair it with Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner in the shade Stash.

These will probably become my most worn eyeshadows. They are just so easy to work with and have great staying power. I just wish that L'Oreal released some more shades, maybe something less shimmery.

I'm not really that satisfied with the quality of the pictures of swatches (the rest is fine), but it's close enough. Unfortunately my camera absolutely hates the lack of natural daylight, so winter is not the best time for doing swatches.

My friend was kind enough (well lets be honest, she's awesome) to get me some things while she was in London. More detailed reviews will follow, I'm just a little swamped at the moment. But these are the things she got for me:

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor (I already used it once and it's a really good conditioner. Plus it smells divine, like some sort of candy)

I was super excited about the new (LE) shades of Essence cream eyeshadows. I've already raved about their Stay All Day cream eyeshadows, which are in my opinion one of the best, if not the best cream eyeshadows (review here). Circus Circus TE included three new shades, I only managed to get a hold of one (for me the prettiest in the bunch) and it is 02 Raise the Curtain for... It's an old gold shade, very similar to my beloved 245 by Artdeco. However, the texture is so different then at the original Stay All Day eyeshadows. It's much more creamy which unfortunately means that the staying power is much, much weaker. I'm really disappointed because of that, since the colour is just gorgeous. Also building the colour up is a bit challenging.

This month I've been wearing black liner religiously. I still love the Avon Supeshock eyeliner(seriously the blackest liner I ever tried), I also love the waterproof version by Gosh (not in the picture because I left it in Ljubljana). As for the rest of the make up, I was quite modest. I only used some concealer and mascara, sometimes a bit of Maybelline's Dream touch blush in Peach.

My newest drugstore discovery is the Dove Oil Care 1 minute mask. As you can see I've almost used it up. It's a seriously good conditioner for the price. It is definitely the most moisturising drugstore conditioner I came across. If you have really dry hair, give it a go.

Nuxe Multi-Purpose oil is still my preferred moisturiser for my face. It never breaks me out and it makes sure I don't get dry patches (especially now with the central heating season).

Euphoria was the scent I wore the most this month. It's just works so well with my body chemistry, I adore it.

The last thing are dusting powders by Lush. I actually prefer Silky Underwear to Vanilla Puff, the scent of the latter is just a bit too strong for me. But Silky Underwear smells amazing. I sprinkled some on my scarf (it's white) and it smells so nice, especially now when it's mixed with a range of my fragrances.

And something that is not make up/skin care related, it's the Air Wick colour change candle. I have the Cocoa Truffle & Creme version and the scent is just yummy. Check this video if you want to see how it looks. It just so pretty when it's changing colours. Mine's almost completely burned, so I plan to buy I new one.

As promised, here are some skin care reviews. Starting with the Garnier Roll-on anti circles concealer. I have to say I love the idea of skin care combined with make up, but when it comes to us paler girls, Garnier fails miserably. I took the lighter shade (heller bis mittles typ) and well, it's not light. I'd say it's more of a medium shade. It would probably suit someone who wears Healthy Mix 53, or Mac NC/W 20-25. Unfortunately, even though it is (at least in my books) technically a make up item, there are no testers. Brilliant. But on to the actually product itself, it's not to shabby. It covers quite nice, though the formula is very thin. Surprisingly, it is not such a bad match for my skintone. Because the formula is so light, it blends in nicely. But still, I prefer lighter concealer, after all I want to brighten my under eye area. I like the cooling feeling of the applicator and enough product is apply quickly. However, this won't cover serious circles, I'd use it underneath foundation + concealer. For me this is more of a skin care item than proper make up.

I didn't even know that Aqua Sensation Nourishing Cleansing cream existed. I just happen to find it on their website and it immediately caught my eye. I've been searching for a good cleanser for a while now (ever since they discontinued Nivea Toddies gel). The initial impressions were very positive. The consistency is a light cream and it has a very pleasant typical Nivea scent but with a fruity twist. Though I had a feeling that it cleaned the skin well, it did not remove my eye make up (regular nor waterproof mascara). It left my skin feeling soft and moisturised, still I could feel like maybe not all of the cream rinsed off completely. But then my skin started breaking out and my skin never breaks out. The only logical explanation for this was that it is my cleanser that is causing it. So I stopped using it, used a DIY honey mask and my skin is normal again. It is a nice product, but just not for me. If you have very dry skin, it might work great for you. I bought it in DM for about 4 €.

Nourishing Cleansing Cream is on the right, on the left is Nivea Soft cream. As you can see the consistency looks very similar, however, Nivea Soft is a bit thicker.

I really like the classic Nivea scent, so I purchased Nivea Soft cream (it's been a while since I used up my last pot, but I really liked it then). It's a lovely moisturiser very underrated I think. I like that they have a tube version too, it's much more handy.

I ordered Sun Shimmer instant tan from fragrancedirect.com. It's a wash off tan, perfect for occasions when you need to tan yourself up quickly. I purchased the shade medium matte and it's perfect for my very light skin. The colour you get is very natural (unlike Lush's Charlotte Island which makes you look burned). It's has a very light consistency and it looks alarmingly dark right out of the tube, but it blends in very nicely. You have to work fast with this, because it does stain your skin and it is a pain to remove. It works better if you moisturise your skin before application. It has a bit of an odd scent, but it is not that noticeable to me. It's a really nice product for the price.

A bit of a package related rant. I recently ordered from two UK based websites. And they were both extremely professional and sent off the packages on the same or the next day. However, I didn't receive those packages for almost two weeks. And why is that? Because our ''extremely competent'' postman left them somewhere outside around our house (like literally just somewhere on the floor, he really deserves a postman of the year award). God knows how long they were there and it was well below zero here. Fortunately everything was ok, also thanks to very well protected packaging. But enough of that.

I'll review some things in this post and some in the future.

I ordered a Britney Spears Radiance gift set and Seche Vite from feelunique.com. Radiance set contains a 30 ml bottle, 5 ml bottle and a 50 ml shower gel for about 23 € which is a really good deal. I've been eyeing Radiance for a while now, despite the extremely tacky bottle. It's a very girly scent. Initially it's a very fruity-berry scent, but then flower notes (tuberose, jasmine) and musk prevail. For me it's a more spring/summer scent, however, it is quite strong. I'll keep the small bottle in my purse.

I got Mac Bronze eyeshadow on fragrancedirect.com (they literally sent off the package on the same day I ordered, thumbs up). The closest shade from Mac I own is Mulch, but they are worlds apart. Mulch is much darker, cooler brown and Bronze is, well, bronze. A great shade for blue/grey eyes.

Fantasy meet your sibling. Vampire's Love edt is a part of the current TE by Essence and it's (almost) identical to Fantasy by Britney Spears. Why almost? Because from the start it's not as sweet as Fantasy, but then it develops into an identical scent. It also lasts the same as Fantasy (which on me is ages). I'll just say a superb quality fragrance for only 6-7€ (50 ml). Vampire's Love is currently available in Műller, I hope it'll be available in DM soon.

Another current LE is by Catrice called Welcome to Las Vegas. I bought the Shimmer Powder because the packaging is just adorable. It's a really small bottle, about a lipstick size tall. It sprays a fine mist of golden shimmer, which is really pretty, but unfortunately doesn't last long on the skin. The shimmer has a subtle nice fragrance.

Müller has a 30 per cent off all Miss Sporty products, so I got Fabulous Lash Waterproof for something under 2€. Unfortunately it's a pretty bad mascara. It smudges like crazy when you're applying it, nor is it good for layering. Second coat just looks odd. Maybe it's just because it's still to wet. However, it is a very good waterproof mascara. I tested it under shower and it didn't smudge or flake off, so it's not like really bad.

Viviana (from Viviana Does Makeup) has been raving about the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner so naturally I had to try it. It's actually a really good drugstore conditioner. It's even more moisturising than my other favourite drugstore conditioner which is John Frieda Brilliant Brunette. It has quite a thick consistency (I like that a lot) and it comes out in two colours, like toothpaste. It's very moisturising and made my hair feel very silky. The scent is pleasant, I'd say typical Dove like scent. I think it was somewhere around 4-5€ for a tube, I'll definitely repurchase.